Mahathir is saying that Chinese and Indians have to become Malay

Dr M’s Tanah Melayu remarks ‘old-fashioned’, say analysts

By Yow Hong Chieh

February 02, 2011

Dr Mahathir had been forced to repress his “true colours” when he was PM, said one analyst. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 2 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s call for non-Malays to accept and integrate into the dominant Malay culture has been called outdated by political analysts, who added it would not have much impact among Malaysians.

Monash University’s Dr James Chin said such thinking was “old-fashioned” as more developed nations like Australia, Britain and the US have adopted a more inclusive definition of multiculturalism — one which allowed their citizens to profess more than one identity.

He added that while first-generation non-Malays might have had links with their country of origin, non-Malays born in Malaysia no longer have such ties.

“Whatever ties they have is skin deep,” he told The Malaysian Insider.

Chin also said Dr Mahathir’s latest “ultra-Malay” message was nothing new and pointed out that the remarks were consistent with the former prime minister’s hardline rhetoric before he took office.

He predicted that Dr Mahathir’s right-wing comments would not have an impact on the Chinese vote — which the political analyst said was unlikely to return to Barisan Nasional (BN) — but might push away some Indian voters who returned to the ruling coalition’s fold after Election 2008.

Chin believed Dr Mahathir’s latest remarks may alienate Indian voters.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Institute of Ethnic Studies director Datuk Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin chastised Dr Mahathir for equating unity with homogeneity and ignoring the “reality” of Malaysia’s multicultural society.

“He thinks that unity is uniformity. If everyone becomes one then the problem is solved,” he said.

“[But] we don’t survive on ‘unity is uniformity’; we survive on ‘unity is diversity’. There is a problem of contradiction between the reality in Malaysia and the hope that he has.”

Shamsul Amri said that although Dr Mahathir could reach out to many with his rhetoric, he would not succeed in shaping national policy because Malaysians, particularly older ones, were unlikely be swayed by his “recycled” ideas.

“Generally, people will make comments and in 48 hours it will disappear,” he said.

Dr Ong Kian Ming of UCSI University said there was no need to harp on the idea of non-Malay integration as their links to their “so-called country of origin” were already “tenuous” and would continue to weaken over time.

Ong said, however, that Dr Mahathir was right in saying that it would be hard for Malays to accept Chinese and Indians as long as these non-Malay communities did not feel comfortable in a Malay-majority environment.

The political scientist added that the timing of Dr Mahathir’s message suggested it might have something to do with the apparent increase in Chinese support for Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in Tenang and the greater political assertiveness of non-Malays after Election 2008.

“His understanding is that as Chinese assert their rights, Malays lose theirs... Mahathir might equate the Chinese who are voting for the opposition with the fact that they’re ‘unreconstructed’,” he said.

Universiti Sarawak Malaysia political studies head Dr Mohd Faizal Syam Abdul Hazis said Dr Mahathir was showing his “true colours” now after being forced to tone down racist rhetoric during his 22 years as prime minister.

“He needed to mellow down when he was the prime minister... but since now he’s not there anymore, he’s being him,” Faizal Syam said.

“It sounds like Mahathir is saying Chinese and Indians have to become Malay to be Bangsa Malaysia (Malaysian Nation).”

Non-Malays must accept that the country belonged to the Malays, said the ex-premier.

Faizal Syam said it was “very sad” that leaders were still talking about the question of integration and loyalty decades after the formation of Malaysia, rather than bread-and-butter issues that affect the people directly like crime and inflation.

He added that Dr Mahathir was “ignorant” for including East Malaysia in his definition of Tanah Melayu, and claimed that the former prime minister had demonstrated precisely the kind of “peninsular Malay hegemony” that Sabah and Sarawak were critical of. Dr Mahathir told Malaysians yesterday to admit that the country belonged to the Malays and accept the culture and language of the dominant community.

He said that country’s forefathers had given the Chinese and Indians citizenship because they expected the communities to respect Malay sovereignty.

“This country belongs to the Malay race... We must be sincere and accept that the country is Tanah Melayu,” he told an audience at the “Malay Race and the Future” talk at the Tun Hussein Onn Memorial here.

Dr Mahathir had also stressed that non-Malays must accept the concept of Bangsa Malaysia to help strengthen national unity.

He added that the minority communities must place country before race and identify themselves as Malaysians because to do otherwise would be an admission that non-Malays are immigrants in the country.

“(Former Philippine President Corazon) Cory Aquino is Chinese but she identified herself as a Filipino. (Former Thai Prime Minister) Thaksin Shinawatra is Chinese but he speaks the Thai language and lives the Thai culture,” he said.

“It is different in Malaysia, we still introduce ourselves according to our race. This is why the question of race will continue to haunt us.”